


Ketchup Kisses

by orphan_account



Category: Riverdale - Fandom, bughead - Fandom
Genre: AU, F/M, Fluff, My First Oneshot, One Shot, based on tumblr prompt, if Jughead was from Southside
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2017-08-26
Packaged: 2018-12-20 07:27:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11916045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: The night is dark and stormy. Betty Cooper seeks refuge in Pop's Chock Lit Shoppe. Little did she know she'd be leaving with more than just her hamburger.





	Ketchup Kisses

Betty Cooper frowned, she was drenched. Completely soaked down to her skin. She cursed herself under her breath, how could she have failed to bring an umbrella this evening. For a moment, she simply stood in the pouring rain, as if accepting her watery fate. There was no way she could control the rain. Perhaps that was why she had always liked storms. They were uncontrollable and unpredictable, wild and free, everything that she had ever secretly longed to be. Betty weighed up her options, maybe the rain would subside eventually? However she did not particularly want to walk home in this weather, and she could feel her stomach begin to rumble. Had it really been nine hours since her last meal? Nodding as she mentally made her decision, Betty hurried off through the night, Pop's Chock Lit Shoppe her destination.

Pop's was packed, buzzing with activity and warmth. Betty squeezed into the diner, breathing a sigh of relief as the warm air hit her face. She paused for a moment, as the realisation hit her that there were no available seats. Her eyes scanned the room, the bar, the tables, the booths. There were some empty seats scattered around, but Betty didn't feel it was polite to seat herself on a table with a group of strangers. She sighed, approaching the bar and greeting Pop Tate.  
"Is that Betty Cooper?" He smiled at the blonde girl opposite him.  
She nodded, moving a strand of wet hair from her face.  
"You look half drowned! Didn't you bring an umbrella? You'll get ill in that weather!" His frown was etched with concern, Pop Tate was considered every Riverdale kid's honorary grandparent.  
Betty smiled, "It's horrible out there, you couldn't step outside for more than ten seconds and you'd be drenched through."  
Pop Tate sighed, shaking his head, "Anyways Betty. What can I get you?"

"A coffee and hamburger to go would be great." She smiled, pulling some change from her coat pocket. 

He frowned, "To go? Do you have a lift home waiting outside for you? I don't see your mother's car out there." He glanced over the parking lot.

She shook her head slightly, forcing a a half smile, "Its fine, really. It isn't that long of a walk."  
"Well stay here a while, eat your hamburger. Dry off and warm up before you head home." He began to prepare her burger, talking to her as he put the patty on the grill.  
Betty glanced around the diner again, "I would... really I would Pop Tate, thank you. It's just that there isn't anywhere to sit. You're very busy today."  
"Nonsense! You can sit anywhere. Sit there!" He gestured towards the nearest booth. There was just one person sat at the table, a boy with dark hair and a grey beanie that seemed to resemble a crown of sorts. The boy was typing on a laptop and had white headphones in his ears. He seemed so concentrated, so focused.  
Betty stammered, "I can't just- just sit... I don't know him. It's awkward, I just-." Betty's nails began to press into her palm, not yet enough to draw blood.  
"Young man!" Pop Tate shouted at the boy, Betty his her head in embarrassment, " Young man! At the laptop, wearing the grey hat."  
The boy, removing one of his headphones, slowly looked towards Pop Tate.  
"Yes you!" Pop Tate nodded, looking away only to flip Betty's burger. "Can this young lady sit at your booth and eat her hamburger?"  
The boy nodded slowly, as if confused. He glanced towards Betty. Suddenly he was frozen, entranced by the blonde girl in the pink dress. He shook himself out of his trance, nodding again at Pop Tate and turning back to his laptop.

Pop Tate smiled knowingly at Betty, handing her her plated burger and coffee. She thanked and payed him, nervously placing her food on the table, opposite the boy.  
Betty sat in silence for a second, not quite making eye contact with the boy opposite her. She questioned talking to him, he seemed so focused on whatever it was he was typing. But it was rude to simply ignore him.  
"Sorry." Betty smiled politely, the boy looked up from his laptop and locked eyes with her. For a moment all she could do was stare. She felt like she was melting into his eyes. She couldn't look away, she couldn't speak. She appeared to have the same effect upon him, they were speechless. Flustered.  
Betty blinked, shaking herself slightly and smiling, "I'm Betty."  
He returned the half smile, "Jughead."  
She paused, "Sorry?"  
"Oh." He chuckled slightly, "That's my name, Jughead."  
She smiled, "Jughead."  
With this she decided to leave him be, leave him to continue with his laptop in peace. He watched her for a moment, as she picked her burger up, biting into it, before turning back to his laptop.

She continued eating, the warm food filling her with a warmth that radiated through her. A small group of butterflies gathered in her stomach and she began to feel somewhat giddy. She looked up at Jughead again, surely it was not him making her feel excitable. She continued eating, unaware of the eyes that eventually landed on her.

When she looked up again Jughead was staring at her, a wide smile upon his face.  
Betty smiled, shaking her head in a questioning manner.  
He chuckled, "You've got a little something on your face."  
She frowned, "Oh... where?" She started wiping her cheeks on her napkin, cleaning her lips.  
"No here." He pointed at his nose, smiling still. "Here, I'll get it." He pointed a finger towards her face, gently rubbing away the ketchup on the tip of her nose.

Betty froze, her whole face tingling from his small touch. Grinning, she looked up at him, "Thank you... Jughead." She liked the way his name sounded in her voice, she paused, wanting to say it again. "Jughead."  
"Yes?" He chuckled.  
"Oh um..." She stumbled over her words, blushing a bright red. "Um... so whereabouts are you from Jughead?"  
His expression dropped slightly for a moment, but he recovered quickly, playing it off with a laugh. Betty watched confused as he struggled to answer the question. Should she have not asked him that? Why couldn't he answer. She changed the topic quickly, "So.. are you writing anything interesting there Jughead?" 

He smiled at her, grateful that she had sensed how uncomfortable he was answering her question. He didn't know why it was. But he was ashamed of Southside. He couldn't bring himself to telling her. He wanted to impress her, and she was so clearly from the north side of Riverdale. What if she judged him for it? Why did he care? She was just some girl. He smiled again, as he answered her question, "I'm writing a book... a novel." He gently shut the lid of his laptop, turning his entire attention to her.

Betty blushed at the small gesture, "Well one day I hope to read the bestselling novel by famous author Jughead-" She paused, realising she didn't know his surname.  
"Jones. Jughead Jones." He smiled.  
"Cooper, Betty Cooper." She tucked a strand of wet hair behind her ear.

"I think it's my turn to ask you a question now, Miss Cooper." He leaned back in his seat.

"Go for it." She smiled.

"What is a young girl, all dressed up, doing in the middle of the night, in the middle of the storm?" 

She looked down, unsure of how quite to answer his question. She could tell him the truth, that her best friend had rejected her and she had fled the dance. But perhaps that would make her look bad, unwanted even. That wouldn't impress him, why did she want to impress him? She sighed, "My prom date rejected me, I left the dance. I had no way of getting home so I just kinda walked out in the storm."

He stared at her before eventually replying, " He's an idiot."  
She let out a single bitter laugh.  
"I mean it... he's an idiot. Who would reject you. I mean... just look at you." He moved closer to her, pure sincerity in his eyes.

She shook her head slowly, sitting in silence still. They sat, for several minutes, both of them unsure what to say to each other.

"Southside." He broke the silence, "I'm from Southside." There was a sadness in his voice, as if he was sorry for something.

"And I used to like wearing green clothing on a Sunday." She grinned.

"What?" 

"Oh... sorry I thought we were saying things that don't matter." She giggled.

He half-smiled at her, "It doesn't matter?"

"Jughead." She leaned towards him and placed her hands upon his. "It doesn't matter. You could just as easily make assumptions about me based on the fact that I'm some blonde little girl from northside who grew up with a perfect little family. We don't have to just be their dumb stereotypes." She laced her fingers through his.

"Okay." Jughead smiled, slightly speechless. He glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's past midnight, let me drive you home?" 

Betty frowned, she knew she shouldn't just go jumping in cars with strangers, but it was still raining. But there was something trustworthy about this boy. "Are you sure it wouldn't be too much trouble?"

Jughead nodded, packing away his laptop into his bag, "No trouble at all Betty." He grinned to himself, realising that he was prepared to go far out of his way to accommodate this girl. Perhaps he would do anything for her?


End file.
